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This work is made up of two contrasting treatments of the same underlying melody. The first is entitled 'Grizzly Bear Jam' because of its ferocity, playfulness and rhythmic instability. 'Song to End Mourning' is a fantasia which opens with the melody divided between the instruments in two gradually unfolding cantilenas, and moves through an arabesque-like episode to a moment of great intensity.
This work investigates the potential for structural variation and emotional contrast within a single melodic framework when applied to the instrumentation of two clarinets. Richard Causton, a composer known for his intricate approach to contemporary classical music, utilizes this composition to demonstrate how a unified musical idea can be bifurcated into disparate stylistic expressions. The text functions as a technical score, providing the necessary notation for performers to execute these contrasting treatments.
What You Will Find
Experts in contemporary woodwind performance identify this piece as a sophisticated exercise in ensemble coordination and tonal control. Musicians frequently note the technical demands required to balance the rhythmic volatility of the first movement against the sustained lyrical requirements of the second.
Page Count:
16
Publication Date:
2001-12-20
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0193558211
ISBN-13:
9780193558212
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